, Columnist
Heed the Warning of Japan’s New-Year Earthquake
The Noto temblor that struck was devastating but could have been much worse. There are lessons in this disaster.
A house damaged by an earthquake is seen on Jan. 2, 2024 in Nanao, Japan. The Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture was struck by a 7.5 magnitude temblor on New Year’s Day.
Photographer: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images AsiaPacThis article is for subscribers only.
For a long moment, Japan feared the worst.
After the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day, authorities announced the most serious tsunami alert issued since the 2011 disaster that devastated the Tohoku region. Waves of up to five meters (16 feet) were feared. The temblor caused tremors on the highest level on Japan’s Shindo shaking scale 1for only the seventh time on record. A major calamity felt imminent.